Chris Brown neck tattoo is 'art' not Rihanna

Chris Brown's rep clarified on Tuesday (Sept. 11) that Chris Brown's new neck tattoo is not a rendering of his ex Rihanna or any battered woman, and the 23-year-old "Don't Wake Me Up" singer added to the explanation on Twitter.

"I'm an artist and this is art. Dia de los Muertos," he writes Tuesday, referencing the Mexican Day of the Dead, a celebration held on Nov. 1.

His rep says, "His tattoo is a sugar skull and a MAC cosmetics design he saw. It is not Rihanna or an abused woman as erroneously reported."

Brown, who assaulted Rihanna in February 2009, reunited with his former flame at MTV's Video Music Awards on Thursday. After winning Video of the Year, Rihanna, who many thought beared a striking resemblance to Brown's new tattoo, planted a kiss on Brown in the audience.